His jaw tightened.
“I want you to know,” I continued, “there wasn’t one second where I believed you’d see me as anything but a person.”
He let out a slow breath like he’d been holding it far too long.
“I need you to hear something too,” he said.
He stepped closer, finally closing that last inch of space between us.
“When he said that,” Wolf continued, voice low and raw, “it scared me. Not because I doubted myself—but because it made me realize how close I came to never meeting you at all. He was lying to confuse you. I have never met the man before.”
I swallowed, heart, knocking hard once.
“What do you mean?”
“If things had gone differently.” He shook his head. “If you’d stayed hidden. If you’d stayed small. If you’d never come to Eagle River. I would never had met you.”
He met my eyes.
“My life would’ve kept moving. Missions. Nights. Silence. And I wouldn’t have known what was missing.”
My throat tightened. “You’re saying—”
“I’m saying,” he interrupted gently, “that you didn’t just survive that program. You changed the trajectory of more lives than you’ll ever know.”
A breeze moved through the trees, carrying the scent of someone cooking dinner and cold water.
I whispered, “Including yours.”
“Especially mine.”
We stood like that, the understanding settling quietly between us.
No rush.
No danger pressing in.
No need for words.
Eventually, Trigger’s voice floated through the open door. “Breakfast in ten. Anyone who doesn’t show up eats protein bars and will probably have regrets.”
I laughed softly. “Rare delicacy.”
Wolf’s mouth finally tilted into a full smile. “You should see him try to cook.”
“I’d like that,” I said. “Seeing all of you as people.”
“You will,” Wolf replied. “This town’s going to see what tried to take root here. And then it’s going to heal.”
I stared out at Eagle River beyond the trees—my town, my home.
“So am I,” I said.
He reached for my hand then, threading his fingers through mine like it belonged there. Like it always had.
“Whatever comes next,” he said quietly, “we face it together.”
I squeezed his hand.
